


Valentine's Day

by LyriaFrost



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, and I mean all the fluff, fluffy stuff, one or two swear words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-06
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-02-07 15:37:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1904433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaFrost/pseuds/LyriaFrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Star quarterback Michael Jones has made some mistakes in his life.  But this one may just take the cake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Valentine's Day

**Author's Note:**

> So I was watching Valentine's Day today, and the gay couple from that movie is just so gosh-darn cute that I couldn't help writing this little piece. Very heavily inspired by their story line, but doesn't follow exactly to what happens in the movie.

Michael stood at the sink, toothbrush dangling from his grasp as the TV droned on behind him. He was surrounded by opulence, beautiful marbled bathroom larger than many studio apartments. In the mirror there was a glimpse through a doorway of a bedroom with a huge bed, sloppily made with black sheets. Through the open windows came the sound of waves crashing on the Malibu coastline and the salty tang in the air got heavier as the breeze picked up. 

But to the curly-haired man, there were no sounds, no smells, no sights except the purple toothbrush sitting in the cup from which he had just removed his own. It did nothing but sit there, but that was enough to remind Michael of the other person who had shared his home up until recently. 

The sports announcer on the television began to speak of the fabulous Michael Jones, the star quarterback who had just led his football to their second consecutive Superbowl win. The man in question grabbed the other toothbrush from the cup and threw it in the trash can in disgust, turning and stalking from the bathroom to stand on his outdoor balcony. 

On the beach below his house were the same group of girls doing yoga that were there every morning, but Michael ignored their flirty calls and supposed-to-be-sensual movements. While he'd usually flirt back and enjoy the sight, today he just wasn't into it. Every person he saw just reminded him of the one that had left his house in a huff only days before. Right after their Superbowl win, actually. 

When Michael had been so busy bragging about how well he had played, so busy showing off for the reporters and all his adoring fans and had completely neglected the person who had been waiting for him at home. Until that person hadn't been waiting anymore, hadn't even been in the state anymore, had flown halfway across the world to get away from him. And now here he was, alone on Valentine's Day. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Gavin sighed as the plane lurched off the ground, bounding into the air with an unsettling leap. He readjusted his position, grimacing slightly as the abrupt change in altitude caused his ears to pop. 

"Pretty nasty feeling, huh?" Gavin turned to the passenger next to him, a young woman about his own age. She was looking at him sympathetically, no doubt having noticed his discomfort. 

"Bloody awful I'd say." The woman laughed sweetly, throwing a bright grin in his direction. 

"Nice to meet you, fellow discomforted passenger. My name is Barbara by the way." He held out a hand, shaking hers even at the awkward angle caused by being held in the narrow seats by the always-tight seatbelts. 

"Gavin. Nice to meet you as well." 

"So, taking a plane on Valentine's Day, eh?" Gavin sighed. 

"Yeah, well, I was supposed to actually be somewhere, but plans changed." Barbara regarded him thoughtfully. 

"I know how that is. My boyfriend of two weeks asked me to marry him yesterday. Hence the reason I'm hightailing it out of England. Going back home to Canada. Figure this is as good a time as any to get my life back on track, go back to school, all that fun stuff. But, why am I telling all this to a random stranger? I'm sorry if I'm bothering you." Gavin laughed, unclipping his seatbelt as the appropriate light flickered off overhead. 

"Don't worry, the straightforwardness is refreshing. I'd tell you my story, but I think my ex might not appreciate that too much. Wasn't really the kind to make a relationship public, you know?" Barbara nodded sympathetically. 

"I've met that kind before too." The chipper blonde then launched into a lengthy story of some of the crazy boyfriends she had dealt with during her time as a magazine model. The two passengers spent their flight exchanging stories, making bets on how often the attractive stewardess would come over to flirt with Gavin, and sleeping propped up on each other. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Michael sat at a little cafe in a not-so-well known area of Los Angeles. He liked places like this, surrounded by people who had never seen a football game in their lives and so would never recognize him by sight, even if his name might be familiar. Across from him sat another young man with short dark hair, fiddling with an expensive looking camera draped across his neck. 

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it, Ray, I'm not even sure what I did wrong honestly." Ray looked up from his camera only long enough to grab a sip from the vanilla-hazelnut flavored latte that sat on the table in front of him. 

"You've said this all before, Michael." 

"I'm serious this time! This one was... special... it wasn't the same as all those times in the past." Ray sighed, finally resting his camera on the table and looking up to study his friend across the table. 

"Listen, Michael, I'm not going to tell you what to do. I will tell you that I think you should fix this one, because this relationship was good for you. I've never seen you that happy before. But, a relationship is two people, and I think you forget that a lot." Michael stared down into the vaguely-fruity iced tea that was sitting in front of him, absently stirring the pieces of strawberry that floated in the drink. 

"I want to fix it. This time, I really want to, I want that relationship back. Coming home to an empty house is killing me, but I don't know where to start." Ray shrugged, throwing some money on the table. 

"I think you know very well where you need to start, Michael. The question is, are you capable of doing what needs to be done?" With that, the photographer stood and wandered off, already pointing his camera at various people and buildings that he passed. Michael was used to his abrupt entrances and exits and so just sat back in the chair, thinking about what they had discussed. 

The other patrons of the coffee shop took little notice when he suddenly jumped up, knocking his chair over backwards, and threw his own money on the table. As he flagged down a passing taxi, he pulled out his cell phone, dialing the number for his publicist. 

"Hey, Burnie? I need a favor..." 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Gavin awoke blearily, neck protesting the strange angle at which he had slept for the last... three hours, a check of his watch told him. He went to straighten his back fully when he noticed the heavy weight on his shoulder. Looking down, he saw a head of blonde hair pillowed on his side, and a dark red blanket draped over both of them that had definitely not been there when they had drifted off to sleep. 

Barbara seemed to notice his movements, and was soon sitting up herself, rubbing the crusty sleep from her eyes. A glimpse at the on-flight entertainment center showed that they were just about halfway back to Los Angeles. The stewardesses were just distributing the menus for the complimentary lunch. Barbara took one look at the menu and scrunched up her face in disgust. 

"Bleh, airplane food. A piece of rubber with vegetable-shaped plastic on the side, or a soup of water and some questionable pieces of stuff floating in it. Not very appetizing at all." Gavin laughed, well-acquainted with the less-than-edible food that was usually offered to unsuspecting passengers. 

"I usually just go for the peanut butter and jelly or turkey sandwiches." Barbara squinted at the laminated paper in her hands. 

"I don't see those options on the menu anywhere." 

"And you probably won't. But they always have some alternative like that for the people with picky palates." Barbara laughed, tucking the piece of paper into the seat pocket in front of her. 

"Well that's good enough for me then. You must fly an awful lot to be so in the know about airplane food." 

"Yeah, well I live in LA but my family is all back in England. I help my dad run the family business, managing art galleries, and I was sent here to manage the US branches. Needless to say, there's a lot of travel involved with my job." Just then the stewardess came around to distribute food, and sure enough, there were turkey and ham sandwiches offered to those who did not care for the main selections. 

"Oh my god, this is so much better than the stuff I usually get." Gavin practically inhaled his sandwich, balling up the paper that it came in and tossing it lightly at the side of his fellow passengers head. She retaliated with a piece of lettuce that had fallen from her sandwich, and what followed would have become a rowdy and boisterous food fight, if not for a disapproving look from the stewardess who happened to be walking by at that moment. 

Giggling like two little children, Gavin and Barbara decided to watch a movie instead, to try to avoid the careful consideration they were now receiving from everyone around them. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Michael sat in a chair to the side of a podium, listening as his publicist addressed the sea of reporters in front of him. Even for a last minute press conference held on Valentine's Day, nearly every station and newspaper had sent a reporter and cameraman to cover football's up-and-coming new quarterback. 

As Burnie turned away from the podium, gesturing Michael forward, he stood and brushed the wrinkles from the Armani shirt and dress pants he was wearing, pushing his sunglasses up onto the top of his head before taking his place at center stage. 

"Thank you, everyone, for coming on such short notice. I know it's Valentines Day, so I will try to keep this short." Michael stared into the crowd, noticing the flashes going off periodically, the way the reporters were hanging off his every word, desperate not to miss the smallest tidbit of news. Well, the tidbit of news he was going to share was hardly going to be small at all. 

"It has come to my attention lately that I have a fabulous football career ahead of me and behind me. In only three seasons of playing for a major team, we have gone to, and won, the Superbowl twice. And yet, in doing so, I have neglected everything else in my life, some things that I consider truly important." Michael took a deep breath, noticing Ray at the back of the crowd, smiling encouragingly at him. 

"And the one I consider most important, the one I have ignored the most, is love. And I'm tired of that. So I called this press conference today in order to share one of my biggest secrets with all of you." Burnie gave him a thumbs up from off-stage. 

"I'm gay." There was an immediate reaction of a moment of stunned silence before every reporter in the crowd was on their feet, shoving each other forward in an attempt to get their questions answered first. Burnie stepped back up to the podium, gesturing for the hired security to hold the line back. 

"Alright, alright, please come back to order. First question, please?" All the reporters were jumping up and down like children who were being offered first pick from the candy bowl. "Matt Hullum, Channel 14 news?" 

"What will this mean for your career, Mr. Jones?" Michael shrugged nonchalantly, stepping back up to the mic so that he could answer. 

"Hopefully nothing. The fact that I'm gay will have no effect on the way I play football. All I hope is that it brings the person I love back to me." Burnie took control again, keeping the press conference moving along quickly. 

"Alright, next question?" 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

When the 'fasten seatbelts' light turned off for the final time of that flight, Gavin was one of the first people out of his seat, standing in the aisle and stretching out his tired muscles. Barbara moved over to the aisle seat, laughing at the cracking sounds coming from her newfound friend's every joint. 

"You can really feel those long flights in every inch of your body." Gavin groaned in response, closing his eyes for a moment, relishing the ability to stretch out, even if it was in the slightly confined space in the aisle-way. After retrieving their luggage from the overhead bin, they shuffled off the plane in the queue of people who were anxious to get back to their loved ones, especially on this particular day. 

"Thank god that bloody flight is finally over." The two continued to chat amicably as jostled their way out of the gate. 

"Well, I suppose this is where we say goodbye. I have a connecting flight up to Canada to catch in an hour, and you have a special someone to get back to." Gavin startled slightly. 

"How did you- how did you know I'm going back?" Barbara threw back her head and laughed. 

"Because what else would you be doing on Valentine's Day? Now hand me your phone so we can exchange numbers. You'd better keep in touch with me after this, Mr. Gavin Free." Gavin hugged her tight. 

"Well of course, love, I wouldn't dream of doing anything but." Barbara laughed, twirling her hair behind her as she strode away into the airport without even a goodbye. Gavin shook his head fondly before moving off in the opposite direction, towards the baggage claim. It was there, while he was waiting for his bag to finally show up on the conveyor belts, that he caught a snatch of the news broadcast on the television. 

"...Michael Jones, quarterback of the... sudden press conference today... dropped a major bomb on the sports world, wouldn't you say? He'll.... down in the ranks of players like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King... first openly gay football player to play in the major leagues... much less win more than one Superbowl." 

Gavin stared in shock at his phone, the three missed calls and numerous texts from his special someone. He felt the beginnings of tears pricking in his eyes but quickly brushed them away, grabbing at his bag and running to flag down a taxi. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Michael had fallen asleep on the sofa, where he had been waiting, hoping, to hear the door opening. He had candles lit, glasses of wine already poured, even a bouquet of flowers that he knew his lover liked. But after hours of waiting, ever since he had gotten back from the press conference, Michael had drifted off in his thoughts and eventually dreams. 

He was woken by the slight tickling sensation of something soft caressing the side of his face. Before he was even awake fully, he tried to swat it away, but instead his fingers became entangled in the stems of a delicate bundle of peonies. He stared down at the flowers that now rested in his hand, before noticing the hand that had tangled itself in his curls and was now scratching likely at his skull. 

"Hey there, love. Thought you'd be in bed by now." Michael blinked up at the man who was leaning over him. 

"Gavin?" 

"Yeah, it's me. I'm home." Michael lurched forward, dropping the flowers into his lap as he reached for the other man. 

"You came back, you... did you hear?" Gavin laughed shakily, a few tears dripping down his cheeks. 

"I heard, love." 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't ready for it before, I was just..." Gavin pressed forward to kiss him, swallowing the rest of his words. 

"It's in the past now, you don't have to apologize. What you did today, that was more than enough apology. I'm so proud of you, but you should know that that's not what brought me home." 

"It- it's not?" Gavin shook his head, one hand going back into Michael's hair to twirl the curls again as he got himself situated on the couch as well. 

"I didn't hear about what you did until I was in the baggage claim. I was already on my way back here, back home, to you. I had already decided to come back, because being here with you was more important to me than whether or not you were willing to come out for me." Michael had tears dripping down his face now as well. 

"You were more important to me than any of that, Gavin. I realized that I was being stupid, letting you go over something like my public image. Because it won't matter anyway. I don't know what I was thinking, but it doesn't matter now cause I don't think it anymore." 

"Michael, Michael... just breath, love. It's okay, I promise, I'm not leaving like that again. Just relax now. I'm sure there will be lots to deal with after tonight, so let's just enjoy this time, alright?" The red-haired football player leaned forward to grasp the two glasses of wine. 

"Yeah, I can do that. I got your favorite wine." Gavin smiled softly, taking one of the glasses. 

"See? You knew I'd be back. I like the candles too, nice romantic gesture." Michael smirked at the other man. 

"Well, it is Valentine's Day, day for all that romance-y shit." Gavin looked down at his watch. 

"It is indeed Valentine's Day for... half an hour yet." 

"More than enough time. Happy Valentine's Day, Gavin." 

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too, love."


End file.
